Controversy continues after Saugus High School players run "Thin Blue Line" flag onto field
Controversy continued in Santa Clarita over the weekend, after Saugus High School players ran onto the field ahead of their football game with the "Thin Blue Line" flag, despite orders not to do so.
The flag, which is intended to honor law enforcement, uses the thin blue line to represent the line that keeps society from descending into lawlessness. The blue color is specifically used to correlate to the color most officers wear.
However, in recent years, the flag has become quite divisive, which made some of the fans on the sideline uncomfortable with its repeat appearance on the high school's sidelines.
Video shows two players running onto the field ahead of Friday's matchup with Golden Valley High School, one holding an American flag and the other holding the Thin Blue Line flag.
While the flag stands as a symbol of solidarity with law enforcement for some, it's a symbol of hate for others.
Weeks ago, the William S. Hart Union High School District superintendent and Saugus HS's head coach opted to have players stop running the flag onto the field before games, due to the highly divisive nature and the fact that it may have been making some team members uncomfortable.
Despite this, the flag still made an appearance on Friday.
While school district representatives were unavailable for comment, local activists made their voices heard.
"Right wing extremists used the flag in Charlottesville, they used the flag at the January 6 attack on the capitol," said Veronica Bradford, with the NAACP Santa Clarita. "So, it is a tool, we feel that it's used to divide. And it does make Black students feel uncomfortable."
For others, the flag is more than just a symbol but a message to the community that was there for them first during a school shooting back in 2019.
"I believe it's their right if they want to," said Tim Hailey, a Santa Clarita parent. "You know, I know what happened at Saugus High the other year was tragic, the first ones there were first responders."
Some feel that the flag, which is now widely used by white supremacists, there are other ways to make their message felt.
"It's really about in the school setting, making school for all the kids, every single one of those kids. It was just a few games ago that all of a sudden they wanted to show it so this has nothing to do with the school shooting," said Duncan Mandel, another Santa Clarita parent.
Congressman Mike Garcia praised the high schoolers on his campaign's Facebook account.
"I'm proud of the Saugus football team for again displaying their support of law enforcement!" he said. "We should take pride in this support, not shame it. Principled based behavior (not fear-based) at its best!"
There is a school board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, where parents and students on both sides of the argument are expected to make their opinions known on the issue.
Saugus High School has another home game scheduled for Friday, the first game of playoffs.
